Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Rabelo Sent Down, Hoover Up

We at The South Florida Fan haven't exactly been the biggest fans of Mike Rabelo. Unfortunately for Rabelo, it had little to do with him. I was frustrated with the Marlins' insistence on asserting Rabelo as a marquee member of the Cabrera-Willis trade, despite no evidence to prove he was worth anything.

It's been a steep descent for Rabelo. He went from having the starting job, to becoming Treanor's backup, to now starting for AAA Albuquerque. To make matters worse, this comes on the heels of a mind-numbing bungle in his last Major League game (he forgot to tag the runner at home, thinking there was a force). For the sake of his career and his confidence, I hope that doesn't stand as his last day in the Majors.

In the meantime, Paul Hoover comes up to take his place. This not only solidifies Treanor's role as the lead catcher, but also gives him a greater share of the starts. Hoover is in tonight, but expect Treanor in nearly every game from tomorrow onwards.

4 comments:

Jay Warman said...

Hey ASponge,

I was reading the mailbag on marlins.com and they mentioned the Marlins seeking a catcher via trade.

Paul Lo Duca and Pudge Rodriguez were mentioned as possibilites.

Any thoughts?

ASponge said...

Well, the Marlins are famous for bringing back old players. They love to do it.

I don't know if either of those guys are a step up anymore, though. Lo Duca has really dropped off since the steroid allegations and Pudge (also a likely 'roid user) is well past his prime.

I think Pudge would be a nice PR move though. I wouldn't trade anything substantial, and the Tigers would have to pick up most of his contract.

JSponge said...

Although I haven't felt as strongly negative about Rabelo as many others, I am really glad to see him off the roster. You simply can't lose games because of defensive lapses by your catcher...let him work out his issues in AAA, a catcher in the rye, and then prove his way back to the majors.

ASponge said...

Haha. A catcher in the rye of Albuquerque? Is that what grows there?